Talk Me out of Buying Dell XPS 17

Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 13:32

My MS Surface Book has crapped the bed with a broken power button
Has been good with an excellent screen but literally cannot turn it on - frustration!

Been thinking to get larger screen and this laptop has good reviews from OzB users
Seems top quality screen and very narrow bezels - 17" in 15" size

Can get i5 / 8GB version for less than $2K after cashback
Or i7 / 16GB for $100 more from Outlet

$2K is a lot of pennies
Any reasons not to go for this?
What is the alternative with decent quality large screen at cheaper price?
Whaddayareckon :)

Computing 17inch Computer Dell Laptop

Comments

  • bobbified on 21/04/2021 - 13:37
    +7

    Talk me out of buying Dell XPS 17

    Why? I think it's a great laptop 😁

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 13:38
      +1

      Not helping! LoL

      • Draco on 22/04/2021 - 07:32
        +1

        Talk to msft about fixing the surface book they're usually really helpful

    • Quantumcat on 21/04/2021 - 14:15

      Yeah it is a great computer. No ragratz

  • FireRunner on 21/04/2021 - 13:38

    I've had good experiences with the outlet, I'd recommend the i7/16GB for $100 extra (if someone doesn't talk you out of it)

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 13:39

      Still not helping! LoL

  • waterbottled on 21/04/2021 - 13:38

    save money. But you know that already lol

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 13:39

      Yes! Shame me into budgeting! Lol

      • Georgalli on 21/04/2021 - 17:32
        +1

        Just think of the how much you would have if you invest it all into shitcoins

  • kerfuffle on 21/04/2021 - 13:41
    +2

    $2K is indeed a lot of pennies. When did you get your Surface Book? I spent almost $3K on my Surface Laptop 3 last year, which isn't an amount I normally spend on a laptop, but did because the previous laptop (Sony VAIO; cost one-third of what the SL3 cost) was eight years old.

  • beeawwb on 21/04/2021 - 13:45
    +5

    $2000 can buy many peanuts!

    Explain how!

    Money can be exchanged for goods and services.

  • scrimshaw on 21/04/2021 - 13:51
    +1

    There's no AMD Ryzen with Dell XPS, so that's one reason not to buy a XPS laptop.

    Seriously Dell you should start putting AMD into the XPS line.

  • clem0ximus on 21/04/2021 - 13:55
    +2

    I just dropped $2100 on the xps 17 today. No Ragrets!

    Replacing a 15" Acer Nitro gaming lappy.

  • FIVEDOLLAR on 21/04/2021 - 13:55

    The XPS is
    Stunning, has an immersive display
    Impressive CPU and graphics power
    Comfortable keyboard
    Attractive and slim design
    Long battery life
    Premium all-metal exterior

  • dddddog on 21/04/2021 - 13:56

    why do you need a computer?

    • Quantumcat on 21/04/2021 - 14:15
      +4

      Why do you need 5 ds

      • bloom on 21/04/2021 - 14:55

        Why do you comment on forums

        • SF3 on 21/04/2021 - 17:55
          +1

          Why do you comment on forums?

          • bloom on 21/04/2021 - 18:41

            @SF3: Just looking for XPS deals obviously :)

      • SF3 on 21/04/2021 - 21:04
        +1

        Technically 4 extra ds.

        Is that the number for stuttering?

  • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 14:24

    Can anyone confirm if cashback works on the outlet
    asking for a friend ;)

  • cnmarine on 21/04/2021 - 14:33

    Do you really need 17" in a laptop, My first laptop was 15" and I hated it, 13"-14" is the sweet spot imo, pending the bezels

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 14:34

      Definitely keen on the bigger size - this 17" is the form factor of a 15.6" due ot very small bezels apparently

  • raptormesh on 21/04/2021 - 14:44

    Fix your surface book?

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 15:11

      Good call - it is actually pretty hard to do I think
      See here for example
      Might be worth trying to get MS to repair - but have to send away for ? how long

  • geekcohen on 21/04/2021 - 15:12

    Have a look at https://www.metabox.com.au/

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 15:29

      Look powerful but not cheap!

      • geekcohen on 21/04/2021 - 16:10

        Depends on what you are after.

        You could get good bang for buck for $2k and probably better spec than the other offerings.

  • Fergy1987 on 21/04/2021 - 16:14
    +1

    Dont do it - Or else!

  • specks on 21/04/2021 - 16:22

    battery health goes to crap after a year or so

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 17:59

      Really? All laptops degrade with use
      Evidence?

      • VYCanisMajoris on 21/04/2021 - 20:21

        Dell rates it's batteries to retain 80% of it's battery charge for only 300 charging cycles. In contrast, Apple rates them for 1000 cycles to 80%.

        Other reasons include that it uses an Intel processor. AMD and Apple are the superior option for mobile cpu's.

        That being said, it's still IMO the best premium Windows laptop and at the discounted prices, it's a compelling option.

      • specks on 22/04/2021 - 11:40

        Granted this is for XPS13 & XPS15

        I owned the 13 since '18 and had issues with battery management in the first couple of months. The fans would kick on full blast on low intensive tasks like surfing the web and Word. The battery life would lose 60% overnight. I am a light user as its only used for university and everything else is on my desktop. I nagged Dell until they replaced the battery and motherboard. Battery health is now at 75-80% according to batterybar. Other issues include trackpad ghosting and keyboard.

        A mate owned the 15 since 19'? and got seriously battery degradation from the get go. He managed to get a replacement, but still suffered from the same issue. Other issues include wifi card.

        Granted, this is not the xps17 you're looking at, but something to look into.

        If I had to get a new laptop, I would look at thinkpad x1 carbon, but not sure if it suits your needs. My mate is a power user and would probably get a razer blade.

  • bdl on 21/04/2021 - 17:11

    Talk Me out of Buying Dell XPS 17

    DO NOT BUY

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 17:59
      +1

      Thank you - stern CAPITALS helped :)

  • AnotherHuman on 21/04/2021 - 17:11
    +1

    I've been looking at getting one too. The only negatives I see:

    • Intel 10th gen Comet Lake compared to 11th gen Tiger Lake:
      • Single core speed around 20->30% slower
      • Less power efficient
      • iGPU much slower
      • iGPU doesn't decode AV1
    • Possible QC issues around wobbly touch pad, key issues, back light bleed. No idea how common and apparently fixed in newer revisions?
    • Killer WiFi rather than Intel WiFi (reports of crashes/disconnects at least under Linux. Maybe fine under Windows?)
    • No USB A ports
    • Page Up/Down needing a function press annoy me :p

    Also notes: Unless you get the RTX GPU version, the display outputs are all connected to the iGPU. Good for docking without dGPU power usage but limits graphical output as Comet Lake iGPU has nerfed the external DisplayPort to HBR 1.2 (limited bandwidth limits refresh rate).

    No deal breakers though. I'm personally more leaning to getting a ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 (discount code X1PW3R) but that's because I mainly use Linux, don't need a discrete GPU, and already own an eGPU enclosure.

    • Noblejoker on 21/04/2021 - 18:01

      Excellent detail here - Thanks!

  • randomusername2017 on 21/04/2021 - 21:43
    +3

    It's due to go on sale the day after you were planning on purchasing..

    • Noblejoker on 23/04/2021 - 09:35

      That's why I only buy when OzB recommends!

  • colossus on 22/04/2021 - 08:49

    It seems like a good deal. The only issue I've had with several Dell notebooks over the years is coil whine. Before buying, check reports of coil whine for your model.

    17" is nice. Funny thing though. When you go big you find use case for small and vice versa!

    I know, not helping… :-D

  • solidussnake on 22/04/2021 - 09:28

    I'm still rocking a Dell XPS13 with the 6th gen I7 and 3k screen it's still a beast and movies look amazing rock solid too !

    So get one already !

  • jrvb42 on 22/04/2021 - 18:32
    +1

    I bought a top of the range dell 17 inch laptop in 2001. Still going strong, and in use. Obviously a bit slow now, but the point is it was well worth the money.

  • 82norm on 22/04/2021 - 18:54

    Too much money. You don’t need it.

  • Otaraka on 23/04/2021 - 09:02

    I've had a lot of small problems with mine. I got top of the line and the power supply barely keeps up - plug in my phone and it says it isn't powerful enough. Heatwise it sometimes struggles even with a cooling pad. There are two colour profile programs and they can fight with each other. It really does t like docking stations and again you can easily get power warning.

    Get bsod occasionally, might be latest windows updates, seems to have something to do with power suspension.

    It's great that it can charge via usb-c but it really is marginal. Some of these might go away if you don't have the max graphics and higher i7's, but it really shouldn't be happening at all.

    • Noblejoker on 23/04/2021 - 09:34

      Don't like the sound of those power struggles
      Sometimes this is an individual unit though?

      My MS Surface book was getting BSOD after updates too so that might be a WIndows thing if even MS hardware glitches

      I def wanted USB C for 'universal' charging and quickness
      There are aftermarket chargers which are more powerful or at least consistent I think
      Maybe someone can recommend?

  • lightfoot on 23/04/2021 - 09:38

    M1

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